Necropolis PD

by Nathan Sumsion

How do you solve a murder in the city of the dead?
Jacob Green was just an average college student. But three months ago, he ran through the wrong door and found himself trapped in the city of Meridian – a literal necropolis, concealed from the modern world, made up of forgotten places and populated entirely by the dead. As the only living, breathing resident, Jake has struggled to scrape out an existence while waiting for the Necropolis Police Department to decide his fate, and it’s not looking good. But when an unusual string of crimes hits the city, Jake’s overseer and tormentor, NPD Detective Marsh offers him a Jake’s life in exchange for helping them solve the worst series of crimes in the necropolis’ history. Someone, or some thing is killing the dead, and if Jake can’t figure out who’s responsible, he could be next. Necropolis PD is a hidden world fantasy that combines mystery, horror, magic, and more than a little humor. This book is perfect for the living and recently-departed alike.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy

410 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2019

Reviews

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, I admit that zombies…er, uh, revenants as they like to be called, aren’t exactly my favorite lead characters in a book. However, the plot really intrigued me so I took a chance and read this. I found it to be a good solid book after the somewhat slow beginning. The book was written well, the plot was different, and the pace was quick after the beginning. I do wish that Jake’s introduction to the world wasn’t as violent as it was because I think we are meant to like Marsh, Jake’s partner in the PD (vague on purpose; no spoilers). The beginning actions didn’t endear me to Marsh. One other thing I did find a little frustrating was how the other detectives treated Jake. Even after he had proven himself, they tended to immediately go back to making fun of him if he made the tiniest mistake. He deserved better, and it didn’t make me like the others any better, either. Other than that, I quite enjoyed this unique book and hope there will be more. I recommend this book. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Lori S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book to read if you are really good at imagining body horror, and given that 99 percent of the cast are revenants (walking, animated, corpses) and one living guy, I recommend not reading this if you're squeamish.

All Jacob Green wanted to do was help a woman who'd been chewed upon by some kind of monster, not find himself stuck in some kind of underworld where undead, revenants, vampires, and other living dead types spend their after-lives making a living, writing plays, and just generally being people. Admittedly, they're strange people, some with some truly savage appetites, but they're still people.

What Jacob really wanted to do was go home, but the police and Capt. Radu[1], especially, are not willing to risk the city of Meridian's existence by letting the one living person who knows about them wander free. Instead, after three months of terror, loneliness, and pain, the Necropolis PD offer Jacob a job as a police detective in the hopes he can stop the murder of the dead. It turns out that Jake has an unique gift, one that could get him killed if he's not careful, but could also secure his future ...

Despite the body horror and the present tense, I really, really, enjoyed this story from the sample onward. I like Jacob, I like Detective Marsh (Jacob's erstwhile guardian/prison warden), Jessica (a playwright), and even Capt. Radu, after a fashion. I most definitely would not want to meet the good captain in person, mind you, but he's surprisingly honorable and willing to listen to a lowly human when he sees there's good reason. Mr. Sumison does an excellent job of writing both character and atmosphere, as he gives Meridian a dark, gloomy, feel and manages to maintain that feeling throughout. All the characters are memorable and interesting, but not overwhelming. The mystery takes several false turns and no one is happy with the actual conclusion, but it does work.
________________________________________
[1] For anyone interested in real world history, Radu was Vlad Tepes' younger brother who shared being a Turkish hostage along with Vlad when they were children. While the author makes no claim that he equates Capt. Radu with the historical Radu in the story, I was quite impressed with the idea. I'm kind of surprised he doesn't get more use as a vampire in stories.

[Aristotle · Rating 3 out of 5]

" I'm standing next to a hulking corpse, i'm friends with a ghost, and i'm talking to a vampire. Even you have to admit that's a little crazy."

Pretty good for a first time author but book was too long. Should have been a 100 pages shorter and the secret that Green is a 'Seer' took too long to unravel. Books like this should be effortless, well paced, and not take itself too seriously. This didn't have enough laughs, it was too dark, and a bit bloated.
This is 'The Walking Dead', but imagine the zombies have a fully functioning brain. Braaaaaaains. Jacob Green, a living person, is asked to solve the murder of four undead. With the help of a couple zombies, just don't let them hear you call them that, a friendly ghost, and his police captain a vampire he sets off to solve the murders. Along the way he makes out with a dead chick, a zombie takes a bite out of him, and a demon tries to possess his soul. A strong ending made this a decent read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the download.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a slow start...but I really ended up enjoying this debut novel quite a bit! My review is here https://wp.me/p5t5Tf-1Ni

[Gabrielle Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was offered to read this book through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions on the novel are my own.

Let me start this off by saying that this book was more than I ever expected it to be. It was humorous, dark, sinister, and just overall incredibly captivating. I had no clear idea of what to expect from this novel, and it blew me away and makes me want to read more from this world that Nathan Sumsion has created.

To give a brief synopsis of the novel: Jacob Greene was your typical college art student until he stumbled into the world of Necropolis; an entire world within our known reality, filled with the souls of those passed on and places long forgotten in our world. Jacob is the only living being in Necropolis, and because of that is recruited to the police force to try and solve a string of murders within the city. You read that right: there are murders happening in a town full of dead people. It's up to Jacob to find out what is the cause of this, and what dark and mysterious forces await him in this city of lost and forgotten souls.

Sounds pretty cool, right? It was that and more for me. Let's start with the writing. Sumsion throughout this novel has in my mind a perfect blend of darkness and light. While many of the things that the main character witnesses are horrifying in nature, Sumsion balances all of the gore and shock with witty one-liners and banter from the large cast of characters that make up the police team. Jacob even finds his own funny way of looking at things at one point in the story, and many of the aside comments that he makes in situations he is involved in are quite hilarious. The lightheartedness of the language does not distract from the overall darkness of the story, which is great, considering the fact that if it did, the story would not be taken seriously. I tip my hat to Sumison for that, as finding that balance can be difficult to accomplish.

Moving on to the structure of the narrative, the overall story was well paced and thought out well. It truly looks as if this story has been developed over an extensive period of time. The only problems that I associated within this area is that there were several flashbacks in the first half of the story that seemed unnecessary to me. I would have preferred if the flashbacks, that gave us insight into what happened before Jacob's recruitment to the Necropolis PD, were just written into the beginning of the story. It would have made more sense to me in that fashion. However, I do understand their intention of being in the story, as they were well placed within the building exposition itself.

Along with that, there was a lot of discussion about Jacob's family life that I felt iffy about. I wasn't sure if I necessarily needed it, but I understand that need to add it in to a story. This is a large battle within my own writing, as I have a strong urge to tell everything, but I'm never sure if it is really necessary. Jacob's family life had no real point to the story, as they were not a part of the mystery itself, so I would have just removed it entirely, or at least only mention it once or twice as opposed to several times throughout the novel.

Moving on to the characters, there was a great cast of officers within the team that Jacob had. However, many of them for me felt too similar or just very hard to distinguish. The only ones that I could pull apart from the rest were Jacob, Ms. Greystone, Marsh, and Raud, the captain. They all had distinct personalities and tones that could be picked up on, but the rest of the police force (except for one towards the end of the story) were kind of all the same note, and were hard to pinpoint who was exactly who. Overall though, leading back to the writing of the story, they were all funny and humorous, and were fun to read from when it came to the banter between everyone.

Finally, the last point that I want to talk about was the world. The overall world of Necropolis is described as being an amalgamation of places forgotten in the real world. Abandoned buildings or places destroyed over the course of time throughout the entire world. While that was a nice image to think of, there wasn't much world building beyond that. Now, I am not sure if I need more from there or not, because most of the world building that was done was based in the magic aspect and the kinds of people that live in Necropolis. You have ghosts, more corporeal bodies of dead individuals (some rotting and some not), some that have magical abilities, some that don't. That was the most extensive of the world building that was given, and it was great! But I almost wonder if the overall look of the town itself could have been given as much detail. While it seemed flat, there wasn't really a lot of space needed to discuss the world either. I'm very indecisive of this, but overall is was pretty solid.

Overall, I gave this novel a 4 out of 5 stars, and I sincerely hope that Sumsion decides to come out with another story within this world, whether it is through Jacob's perspective or not. There is so much more to be explored within this city, and I will eagerly await the next book.

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacob finds himself on the wrong side of the boundary between life and death. Treated with varying degrees of suspicion by the denizens of a city of the dead, he's conscripted to the local police force. Maybe being alive will give him a unique perspective on a recent (and unprecedented) rash of murders.

Paranormal mystery with a revenant (they don't like to be called zombies) twist.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, it's enjoyable and entertaining.
It starts slow but it gets interesting and it keeps you hooked till the end.
I loved the style of writing, the plot and how the cast of characters was written. The main character was a bit unconventional but likable.
I hope to read other books by this author as this book was really good.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always up for a read that's a little "outside the box" or bonkers as I like to call them. This book was recommended to me by a book buddie as something I might find interesting and, as usual, she was spot on as, once I got my head round a few things, I whizzed through it at a bit of a rate!
Jacob Green has found his way into somewhere usually hidden from the living. The residents of the city of Meridian are dead. Sort of living dead, but not zombies, and ghosts mainly and, after being thoroughly interrogated as to how he found the entrance, the powers that be have decided that the best place for him to while away his days is as a member of the Necropolis PD. It turns out to be a bit of a baptism by fire as it turns out as someone appears to be killing the dead. Yes, I refer you to my aforementioned "bonkers" categorisation of this book! It soon transpires that Jake has a very interesting talent which he puts to very good use as, together with his overseer, Jake tries to get to the bottom of this most heinous crime spree.
Rather than hitting the ground running, this book has a bit of a slow build up. More to set the scene and explain the world in which Jake finds himself. There's a lot of key information imparted early doors, most of which has to be sat with for a while before it becomes more pertinent later on. But, when it does all start to come together - rather shockingly as it turns out - it does all make mostly credible sense, Well, credible within the world created anyway!
Slow build up aside, the book was perfectly paced with the way that certain information was delivered at just the right moments to build up both suspense and intrigue along the way.
Characterisation was, shall we just say, interesting. You'll get what I mean when you read the book as there isn't too much detail I can put here without potential spoilers but we do have a very eclectic mix of some very bizarre characters that Jake, along with the reader, has to get his head round! But it works, it really does - well, at the end of the day when all is finally revealed. You do have to suspend belief along the way a bit but it does all come good when the truth comes out!
I'm going to take a bit of a punt here and suggest that maybe this is the start of a series of books set in this world. There is too much attention to detail in the way the world is created for it not to be - surely!? It definitely felt more like a series opener rather than a pure stand-alone to me anyway and that concept does rather excite me!
All in all, a good solid read that stretched my imagination but left me satisfied at the end. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would more honestly like to give a 4.5. This was a great read, I enjoyed it. There are some pacing issues, the plot and there are points where it moves in the direction of procedural, but it adheres to the big 3 for excellent books: everything and everyone is there for a purpose, the plot is engaging and new, and the main character is believable.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story started with a bit of a stutter but slowly gained momentum as it sailed along. Jacob was a bit annoying at first but grew on me as time went by. There were good side characters involved as well. The captain character kept me guessing throughout the book if he was good or bad. The other negative about the story is I was upset by Marsh’s violent handling of Jacob In the beginning which seemed too severe and needlessly cruel, which led me to give this four stars.

[JoeK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necropolis PD was very good. For a first novel, it was especially good, but considering the author’s admission that he plays RPGs, he’s probably been telling adventure stories since he was in high school.

This books was just what I was looking for when it came across my computer screen. The excellent cover really helped sell it. I really enjoyed the world-building. Because the protagonist, Jacob Green spends most of the book in abject terror of one creature or another, the characterization for the other — for want of a better word — cast-monsters might seem a little thin. This may have been intentional since this looks like the first of a series. Perhaps the next book will be from Marsh or Ms. Greystone’s perspective. I really liked the character names too. So often I mentally skip over names that I can’t figure out how to pronounce.

There was plenty of action and tension, and since Green was very much the fish-out-of-water, the info-dumps made sense in the context of the story and were spread out enough to keep them short and to the point.

I do have a few complaints (the book loses half a star in my estimation, for what follows).
**Spoilers**
There were a few times where I thought a word should have been "in" instead of "on" and I couldn't tell if these were typos or poor word choices.
If Captain Radu knew that Green was a Seer then why didn’t he let Green and Marsh investigate the door in the alley hidden by Detective Finnegan’s glamour? At this stage in the story, Finnegan is almost as much of a threat as the unknown killer. I guess we had to save something for the next book, but it derailed the story a bit in my mind. The same goes for Green not investigating Frank more thoroughly. He interviewed Frank and knew that something was up with him. Then time and chapters pass — in one instance Green mentions that they make no headway for a week. The events happen and THEN Green remembers Frank. He should definitely have gone back to see Frank much earlier if he was really earnest about wanting to solve the case. It bugged me the whole time he ignored this lead. Ah well, no book is perfect.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Necropolis PD – High concept first book, enjoyable read

It’s scary and tough to put your ideas out to an audience beleaguered by the sheer volume of material available to consume. Make no mistake, cracking into the paranormal/urban fantasy book market is not for sissies!

That said, Nathan Sumsion has put together a great concept for a novel. Who polices the dead? What happens when citizens of the afterlife start turning up really dead (read: utterly wiped from existence)? How does one lone live human make his way after he’s forced into becoming a citizen there? (He’s seen too much…they can’t afford to let him leave and risk EVERYONE knowing how to find outer darkness after all.)

Sumsion creates a film noir detective novel lodged in the stinky, dark reaches of the necropolis called Meridian. Jacob Green is our living hero and the newest member of the Necropolis PD, who must overcome the prejudices—and frankly the appetites—of his fellow detectives. He’s got help on his quest from Detective Marsh, the hard-boiled baddy partnered with Green, and a ghostly assistant, the bombshell Ms. Greystone. Green must persevere and make something of his new life and career. Will he solve the mystery of who is destroying the residents of Meridian?

Sumsion has a very descriptive style and his necropolis pops to life on the pages. Likewise, Marsh, Greystone, and Captain Radu (who may be the biggest monster of them all) are vivid and well-drawn. The author struggles a little in the first half finding his stride and giving the reader sufficient backstory to get to the meat of the tale, but once he does, the story shines.

What’s fun about Necropolis PD is its difference from other tales in the paranormal/urban fantasy genres. I look forward to the next novel from Sumsion.

[Michael Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In full disclosure, I’ve known the author since our days in college and when he told me that he wrote a novel, I thought to myself, “it’s about time.”

Since I know Nathan (and his family) so well, there are little things here and there that added a deeper level to the novel for me (and were a bit distracting at times): his love of games (whether video-, card-, board- or roleplaying games), movies, music, books, vampires, the fact that I know he speaks French fluently, and that he grew up in the Mid West.

That aside, I really enjoyed his book (which I bought when it first came out and recently had him sign when I had lunch with him last week).

Nathan is a builder of worlds in his day job, and the world that he has built in Meridian is spectacular. The concept of a place being made up of the “forgotten parts of the world” was really fleshed out as were the undead inhabitants (no pun intended).

Jacob, Marsh, Ms. Greystone, Captain Radu, and the rest of the cast in this book we’re well thought out and fit well within the story.

I don’t usually read these kinds of stories, but there were some real human-like qualities that engaged me as I read it.

The story was unique, enthralling... but I found some descriptions and dialog to be repetitious or bloated and it made the story drag a bit here and there.

But not the part in “The Nursery.” (That will haunt me for awhile.)

It ended a little too quickly for my taste, but it’s a good thing to be left wanting a little more.

Great job, my friend. I look forward to reading more adventures of Detectives Green and Marsh as they police the unholy city of Meridian.

Toutes nos félicitations!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will admit that I was a bit apprehensive about trying this book. New author. First time out, probably needed polishing. Fairly violent, no sex, zombies, ghosts, other dead like creatures. Urban Fantasy from a gamer. I had a very strong ‘we’ll see’ attitude.

This book was one of those books that I could not put down and although I had to it was still running laps in my brain. I am still awed after reading it. The writing was absolutely incredible. The descriptions and the characters were so alive, especially the main protagonist, Jacob Green.

Jacob is a college student that has absolutely no idea that he is special. He has no idea that his life is to irrevocably change when he tries to help at a tragic car accident. He chases a monster into an underworld place that leads to unimaginable things.

The story is pretty straight forward. It’s a mystery as to why or how Jacob is in the underworld. It’s not clear why the monsters keep him alive even though they torture him within an inch of his life. I mentioned before that the detailed writing is amazing. This story is told in first person with Jacob telling the story. As the story progresses, I feel like I’m in 1977 watching Barney Miller TV show with Beetlejuice characters thrown in for good measure. This comparison is a good comparison because I loved both.

Jacob is self deprecating and although he doesn’t know even a smidge of what is going on, he has a brain and common sense to put pieces together. I love this character and his support cast because of how well they were fleshed out…um…so to speak (some of the “zombies” were missing flesh – ha). Jacob doesn’t learns quickly and he doesn’t frustrate me like some characters who just can’t get the drift.

I loved this book and I hope it will become a series. I’d read this author again, for sure.

[Darek Baczewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

"How do you solve a murder in the city of the dead?"

I've seen this tag line a hundred times, and it still gives me the shivers. It is a brilliant premise, enough to pique my interest enough to dive in feet first. And, my God, was it worth it.

Sumsion's style of writing does everything right. Each character is fully fleshed out (even if it is rotting off), the rules of the world are solid, the world itself is vividly imaginative. All of this is possible through the use of a strong, fully realized voice. A reader is invited into this world, and I would say they do so gladly, well rewarded for giving their trust to the strange circumstances surrounding Jacob Green, the only living resident in a dead city.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. I cannot even do justice to it with these words. Read it yourself, and you'll see what I mean.

[Crittermom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a unique fantasy/mystery? Look no further, Necropolis PD is fun, fast paced, and decidedly different.  Jacob Green was your average college student, but the one time he tried to be a hero, he ended up stuck in the City of the Dead - the only living person there.  He doesn’t have high hopes for the future, until he’s drafted into Necropolis PD. He isn’t trusted, half the staff want to eat him, and now he has to help discover who is managing to kill the already dead.  With plenty of action, magic, strange characters, and more than a touch of humor, Necropolis PD makes for an entertaining read.


5 / 5


I received a copy of Necropolis PD from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

[Mutated Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you ever wonder what the afterlife is like? Well this book can give you a little hint of what may be to come. Inside however, isn't the afterlife you would expect. This one is in a realm of everything that's been forgotten, filled with the undead, the vampires, ghosts, and maybe even demons. But what would happen if a living person were thrust into this world and expected to continue on living? You'll just have to check out this book to find out.

Check out my full review here!

https://radioactivebookreviews.wordpr...

[Zach Coates · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really entertaining read full of great characters. It might not have the polish of a bigger author with a full team behind them, but if the idea of a film noir detective story set in an undead city appeals to you, you’ll love this book. I had trouble putting it down!

The only thing that I dislike about it is there’s no sequel! It’s a complete story by itself, but it clearly leaves a direction for future installments. I hope we get them some day!

[Pablo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a slooooow story about a living man who stumbles into a secret world of the dead and ends up going to work as a detective for them. His first assignment is to figure out who committed the first murder of one of the dead - who really killed him, once and for all. This has never happened before and the dead figure their one living resident is the perfect detective for the job.

This should appeal to fans of OFFICER DOWN and R.I.P.D.

[Maria Coro Arruti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining book, and the first in its kind that I've head. The premise was intriguing, a city of dead very much alive people. With all the good and bad of a real city. And a single mortal among them. A detective, quite incompetent at that, but a detective, and partners. I did enjoy the book, absurd as it is. Wish there is more of Necropolis PD in the future.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. It was a very clever take on a murder mystery. The description was fantastic! I could really picture these zombies (not a politically correct term) and unfortunately I could smell them too. Several times I laughed out loud at the clever comic relief. Highly recommended.

[Kendell T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pitch! How do you solve a murder in city of the Dead?
Read it recently (had it for some time; Sorry Nathan!!)
Loved it. great premise, very interesting world creation, great use of language and descriptions.
My Mom loved it too: she keeps telling me to bug you and finish the sequel!
Give it a read. It's a fun mystery.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stopped Midway. The plot was to slow, and the only character was too flat.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun supernatural noir

I picked this up while it was on sale, and don't regret it at all. This book is a fun turn through an old fashioned pulp detective story, with the undead as the kicker. There are some rough spots, a few too many flashbacks used as info.dumps, but easily forgiven as a necessary step in the world building of what I hope will be a new series to follow. If you enjoy police stories, mysteries, and or urban fantasy, this book should be enjoyable for you as well.

[Amy Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read with Compelling Characters

I always enjoy checking out new writers as it's like trying out new food. This book did not disappoint and by the end I came to enjoy these characters who at first made me cringe to read about. Sumsion pulled no punches describing what one may expect a city of the dead to be like and found a way to breath life and emotion into the city and characters. I also enjoyed the wit and look into the thinking of the Jacob Green. Green reminded me a bit of Odd Thomas one of my favorite characters. I look forward to reading more books by Sumsion.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a first (published) book, Necropolis PD is pretty good. Interesting world and characters, but they needed more fleshing out.

The author uses writing elements I really don't like. 1st person, starts at a later point in the story then goes back to fill in the reader here and there. Also, one character tells another about previous events in a similar manner (bits and pieces).

Glad I made it past the first few chapters because I found the world the author was introducing me to ultimately so interesting. Definitely interested in reading a second book if it becomes a series.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[HELEN WINTERBOTTOM · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 5 star for a new writer. Brilliant first novel. Creative plot and characters. If you like dark humor you will love this book. Nice to read a sci-fi mystery that does not rely on explicit sexual content or hard core language to keep your interest. There is a fascinating story that makes you want to keep turning the pages to see how it ends. I am hoping for a sequel. I would certainly spend the $$ and the time for another visit to Necropolis.